THE NEW YORKER mood, the Volunteers had succeeded in establishing a rapport with the teachers and students of Behson, and with a handful of VIsIting Filipinos, that few Americans, with the possible exception : , of some wartime G.I.s caught up in the euphoria of liberation, had achieved be- fore T HIS ability to break down barriers, which a good many of the V olun- teers possess, has had a dual effect; it has caused a gradual change In them- selves as well as in the Filipinos. At first, the presence of an American in a classroom seemed to excite the pupils, almost as the presence of a clown might excIte them, but this response was often followed by a feeling of embarrassment, particularly among the younger chil- dren, who displayed what the Filipinos describe (depending on the local dia- lect) as uwao or hiya, a word that means "shame." If a pupil was unable to pro- vIde an answer to one of his teacher's questions, he tended to slump in his seat t ' with his head down and become, in ef- ,- '" fect, an academic noncombatant, and *;/ too often the teacher, in order to avoid sharing this sense of shame, let the pupil alone, so that he simply sat there in a vacuum. Once the novelty of a V olun- teer's presence had worn off and he had ',<::;,;: begun teaching every day, the regular teacher, hoping to create a good impres- sion of the class on the American visitor, would sometimes whisper answers to the boys and girls. An alert Volunteer would learn to guard against this and at the same time would try to rid the students of their uwao by encouraging them to respond, even though their answers might sometimes be wrong. Most Filipinos are extremely shy, and as the Volunteers became more aware of this shyness they became less con- scious of what they had þreviously re- garded as their own shortcomings, and their increased self-confidence led to increased self-analysis. ChrIstenson, for example, who came from a rural background himself, and who, like so manJ other early V 01- unteers, felt "adrift" when he arrived, told me about his growing sense of fulfillment the night the art workshop was concluded. vVe were sitting on the beach at a gala pig roast celebrating the occaSIon, and watching the darkening sun sink into the Sulu Sea. "I've always wanted to relate to kIds hut never thought I could," he said. "Out here, I've learned how, just because our role was so unclear and we had to find thIngs out for ourselves. It simply became im- portant to me to get a response. Maybe 71 Jfi y :::f. ' ? t ø ".., @ " -,. " ì&:: 'W" of :'R ";<."'< 0 ,: -%', .' - ' ':::: - - 1- '.,,* ... -- ..."? :þ w ".-?- /, , '-Ji " '. :'-"1 I# ; 'r-tr /-'" >: "'f" . :' ' . ' ". ,." '/ . (< - :: _ Nø; w. "'": <:- .,'$ e1 ,. ? -.. þ. ,. ? <.: "" \ ... t/# ft" ; \ w' . .... f(.:''' , \ ..":"10 > ;:: ... ...:c;<Qo. .. '" ..;;. "'.. >>. -& , y <, r .- .. "," .( -:.. #'- ;".' 1 $. \::-::-..:0. "."<<-'-.$-&. :::: : .... ....:. ,ø- . " ..."... 1. y * , / ? '" .} t*:. v. , ,. ,'-. ..w-;",. '....'< ^.:.:. ::-. . "." ... 0( ^ .... ,h , :tc:. '," 4- ./ /. " ,., ;: '''I' , ' " ..x.:.... t t ",". "" . .,;hA :-;. ... , '<-y.... ".... : ........ 7 ....::. The Schilling is local currency in Austria. So is this. ,- { ' '" ';Ø.of Þ: y I . t ... " A" '" '. I < 4iø ø . :tiIJ t k3:8J' ',6ð> _t. f$t-.lliW .h\. ' . ,..Uttk:Dt1\m.rica ". ' " ,'u, '\iß.r.\L .$"'",.,rUIJI W' o'C . " .. '.;.. If \ 'Å :fl :l;S .. ;I .... : I" .JX t Ï> U: " ,d::\ \1 Ö 'int 1+'v,nu i ' ''', "" ., -- - .,. """<f< - - ,_ww ', ' .. , .ooJ^#L'\ltS . + K :- ^ : ' ', $ i ' ::":- .. ' . + ,...()f' (^AW1 ,. . .. '. ..' .... 0" . .. ... .. . - - .....:í:n38tJ bpQ'.t. qt. " Bi:' -,;.5 à .. iñi> ." . .:.'." .".." -".."..:. ;:", .'. t:= ":-. .:. ,} v-"-" . _ >Øþ.....# _ ;. .w ' -=- Austria, Australia, or Afghanistan: whether you're on -or off-the beaten track, BANK OF AMERICA TRAVELERS CHEQUES are as good as cash. Better, in fact. Loss-proof and theft-proof, they're money only you can spend. Only your signature makes them valid. Buy them before you go- spend them as you go-anywhere around the world. BANK OF AMERICA NATIONAL TRUST -'ND SAVINGS ASSOCIATION · MEMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION